Christmas Cherry Cake Food

CHERRY POUND CAKE

Steps:

• Beat butter, sugar, eggs and extract in large bowl on low speed of electronic mixer until blended, then on high speed 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
• Combine flour, baking powder and salt.
• Add dry ingredients alternately with evaporated milk to creamed mixture,mixing lightly after each addition.
• Fold in cherries.
• Turn batter into greased and floured bundt or tube pan.
• Bake at 350° for 55 minutes.
• Cover loosely with foil, shiny side out; continue baking 15-20 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan for 5 minutes; invert cake onto rack and let cool completely.
• Sprinkle with icing sugar to finish.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• In a medium non-metallic bowl mix the dried cherries, raisins, sultanas and brandy. Cover and leave to soak overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, preheat oven to 150°C (130°C fan) mark 2. Grease and line base and sides of a 20.5cm (8in) round loose-bottom cake tin with baking parchment. Wrap a double layer of newspaper or brown paper, 3cm (11/4in) higher than the cake tin, around the outside of the tin and secure with string.
• In a food processor whiz the drained black cherries. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gently fold in the cornflour, mixed spice and polenta, followed by the ground almonds and chocolate.
• Finally stir in the soaked fruit, glacé cherries, tinned cherry purée and 4tbsp of the reserved syrup (discard remaining).
• Tip into prepared tin and smooth surface. Bake for 31/4hrs or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set cake tin on a wire rack, cover with a clean tea towel and leave to cool completely.
• When cool, remove cake from tin (keep in its parchment paper) and wrap in a couple of layers of clingfilm. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 3 months. TO FEED YOUR CAKE: After two weeks, unwrap cake, prick top all over with a skewer and drizzle over 1tbsp cherry or regular brandy. Rewrap and store as before. Feed every few weeks for a stronger flavour.

CHRISTMAS CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease and line with parchment paper one 9x5 inch loaf pan.
• Cream butter or margarine and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add beaten eggs and orange juice and mix well.
• Sift flour and baking powder. Reserve 1/3 cup of flour mixture and toss with raisins and cherries (this will keep them from sinking to the bottom of the cake). Add flour mixture to batter and blend. Add floured raisins and cherries to dough and mix until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 300 degrees F (150 degrees C) for 2-1/2 hours. Don't serve until several days old. Wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil and store in a sealed tin.

SHERRY & ALMOND CHRISTMAS CAKE

Steps:

• Mix the fruit, zest, juice and sherry, and leave overnight to soak. Next day, heat oven to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3. Butter and double-line a deep, 20cm round cake tin. Wrap the outside with brown paper or newspaper and secure with string, as this will protect the sides from overcooking.
• Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla seeds together until pale and creamy. Mix the flour, ground almonds and mixed spice together, then tip into the butter mix with the eggs. Beat until combined and smooth. Stir in the whole almonds, fruit and any leftover juices, turn into the tin, then smooth the top and make a dip in the middle. Bake for 1½ hrs.
• Turn down the oven to 140C/fan 130C/ gas 2, then bake for 1½ hrs more until dark on the top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean, or with a few damp crumbs clinging to it. Once cool enough to handle, turn onto a cooling rack and peel away the lining paper. Cool completely.
• Keep the cake well wrapped, then feed once a fortnight with 1-2 tbsp sherry. Poke holes into the cake with a skewer and slowly spoon over the sherry. If you don't have time to do this, this cake is delicious freshly made, and can be covered and decorated as soon as it has completely cooled down.

CHRISTMAS CHERRY NUT BREAD

Steps:

• Dump everything but the cherries in a mixing bowl and beat well, scrape, and mix again.
• Add the cherries and mix well.
• Put into a greased bread pan.
• 350 oven for 60-70 minutes still a tester comes out clean.
• Remove from pan and let cool.
• Store at least 8 hours before slicing.
• Note: To substitute soured milk for buttermilk, add vinegar to the whole milk and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the bowl. This is what I use usually.

CHOCOLATE CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together all cake ingredients. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, mix sugar, milk and butter. Bring to a boil and boil for 1-1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Pour over hot cake. Frosting will harden as it cools.

OLD-FASHIONED CHERRY CAKE

Steps:

• Begin by preparing the cherries. If they're dripping in syrup, pat them dry with kitchen paper, then slice each one into four. For the cake, cream the butter and sugar together until light, pale and fluffy. Now gradually beat in the whisked eggs a little at a time. Then sift the flour and baking powder together, and carefully fold this into the creamed mixture using a metal spoon. Toss two thirds of the cherries together with the ground almonds and carefully fold these into the cake, adding one or two drops of almond extract and the milk. Now spoon the cake mix into the prepared tin, level off the top with the back of a spoon, then sprinkle over the remaining third of the cherries and poke them just under the surface with a teaspoon. Bake the cake near the centre of the oven for 50 minutes, then cover with foil and continue cooking for a further 10 minutes, or until the centre is springy to touch. Cool the cake in the tin for 15 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight tin.

CHRISTMAS CHERRIES

Steps:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the vanilla, egg yolks, lemon zest and juice and orange zest and mix until combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the bowl, then mix again. Add the sifted flour and mix until combined. Transfer the dough to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
• When ready to make the cookies, preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Cut about 18 candied cherries in half.
• Roll the dough into small balls and set on the prepared baking sheets. Gently press 1 cherry half cut-side down into each ball. Bake about 20 minutes, removing the cookies from the oven before they brown. Cool on a wire rack.